Together
by shadow91623
Summary: After the 4th Great Shinobi war everyone who survived is back in the village, including Sasuke. Sasuke loves Naruto while Naruto doesn't know what are those feelings that he feels for his best friend? Brother? Will they find out about each others feelings or will they end up destroying one another?
1. Chapter 1: Winter morning

Hello to everyone! This is my first fanfiction ever so please be nice with me hahah. I apologize for my English since it is not my first language. The story takes place after the fourth great shinobi war. Naruto managed to get Sasuke back to the village. While Sasuke is very aware of his feelings for Naruto, the blond is not very sure about his feelings for the Uchiha. He thinks it is wrong to feel anything other than friendship or brotherly love. Sasuke is not going to like Naruto's hesitation and that is going to bring frustration and angst to both characters.

**Disclaimer: I do not own in any way or form Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

The blond boy breathed steadily in his sleep. His chest rising and lowering while his mouth half open produced a quiet snoring. He looked very peaceful until he heard a voice "Oi Naruto, wake up" The sleepy boy rolled on his bed sheets until he ended up facing the window next to his bed, his eyes still closed. He suddenly felt a heavy weight on top of his chest, his eyes opened while he sat up on his bed gasping for air. He looked at the massive pile of documents sitting on his lap and wondered how they ended up there. "You awake now?" Naruto looked up towards the window to see a figure bending over the windowsill. The sunlight shining through the window turned the figure into a shadow but Naruto didn't need to see his face in order to recognize the person standing next to him. He blushed slightly as he pronounced this words "What are you doing here, teme?" The other boy let out a long sight which one could tell he was annoyed "I came here to give you your work since you're so lazy you can't even get assed to get up of bed" Naruto yawned and stretched his arms upwards "Do you even know what time is it?" "10.00am" the other boy responded. "Normal people are sleeping at that time on a Saturday" _Damn the Uchiha's habit of waking up early_ he thought. "How did you get in here anyway, did you know it is against the law to invade someone's property?" The ninja resting on the windowsill seemed amused "You call this property? By looking at the mess you've got in here I wouldn't even call it a landfill" "Go away Sasuke, before I punch you in the face" "Like you would be able to, dobe" Naruto jumped off his bed ready to fight Sasuke but he was no longer there, all that remained was a stack of papers spread all over his bed. "Genjutsu eh..? Damn you, Sasuke.

It was a clear winter morning; the sun was weak but comforting. Naruto was walking along the leaf village streets with the stack of papers Sasuke gave him this morning on his arms. He wasn't able to concentrate in his room and he needed to get the documents filled by the end of the day so he decided to do it in the library. It was a strange feeling for him to spend time in the library, five years ago he wouldn't even thought about setting a single foot in the library. Well maybe to pull a prank, although he would've get into a lot of trouble if he damaged any important scrolls there. It surprised him how much he had changed over the years. He had to admit that people had influence on each other, when he was little he was always alone so he didn't have anyone to make him walk the right path but then Iruka sensei started scolding him and he felt loved for the first time. And obviously he ended up in team seven later on under the teachings of the porn reading jounin Hatake Kakashi. And from there on his bonds expanded, he met the rest of rookies and the sand siblings, the old granny Tsunade, his perverted master, the weird and awkward Sai, Yamato taishou, his fellow jinchuuriki Killer Bee and lots of formidable shinobi from all over the different countries. He was forced to mature to face with the disasters that fell upon the shinobi world and to bring a friend back which kept getting farther and farther away from him. He even became friends with Kurama, the all-powerful and hated kyubi! He went through so much pain and suffering but he never regretted any of his actions, he was now an acclaimed ninja of konoha although he decided not to take the name of kage since he felt he wasn't prepared for that, he had lots to learn and so he decided to spend some time taking care of the future generations of ninja as a teacher so they will inherit his will of fire. He remembered how he passed his chunin and jounin exams in a couple of months and his first team of genin was assigned to him. He performed the bell test just like Kakashi did when he was a genin and surprisingly enough they passed. His team was very close together so they immediately thought of working together even if one of them ended up without the bell. His little brats loved him since Naruto was very good with children, he knew how to push their limits and give them courage which combined with his goofy personality to make them have a good time while training.

Sasuke in the other hand decided to join the Anbu corps. He became the captain of the Anbu in no time since no one could deny his leadership abilities. The reason was that he wasn't ready to face the village yet. He was still resentful with the village because of the Itachi incident but he was happy to work in the shadows as long as he didn't have to interact with other people unless necessary. Sasuke was also in charge of the root faction of the Anbu which was dissolved after Danzou's death and now was under the control of the hokage.

As for the rest, life in the village was still the same. Perhaps life was more peaceful now that the shinobi alliance was forged. It seemed that Jiraiya's dream came true. The shinobi world was finally in peace and hatred among the villages seemed to be almost extinct. It wouldn't last forever because humans tend to forget about the errors from the past but this time it seemed peace would last longer than any of the other times.

He finally reached the library and sat in an empty table and placed the big pile of papers in front of him. Most of the documents were information about the new genins and their progress. Naruto had been procrastinating filling those documents and now there were so many he didn't know where to start. Granny Tsunade probably sent Sasuke to give him the work. _She probably scolds me afterwards_ he thought. He started filling the boxes in the documents with a boring look in his face while he promised to never leave this task incomplete again. He had been staring at the blank pages of paper for so long that he didn't even notice that somebody sat in the chair across him until he spoke. "What are you doing dickless?" Naruto raised his head slowly with an annoyed face. "Could you stop calling me that?" "But it is your nickname, giving nicknames to people means you're friends with them right?" Naruto gave up a long time ago trying to understand Sai's reasonings "Could you at least pick something less rude?" "But you said it has to be based on the person's traits" People started looking towards them amused by their conversation "Sai, let's just not go in there please" Naruto's face was bright red "I am filling in my genin reports. I have left them for months and they have been accumulating. What are you doing here?" Sai showed the cover of the book he was reading "It is a book about the Anbu. Since I am no longer part of root I thought I should inform myself on how does the Anbu under the hokage works" Mentioning the Anbu made Naruto think of the one that gave him so much work to do that morning "Sai, have you seen Sasuke?" "I think he had a mission today, I don't know when he's coming back, what, you miss him already?" Naruto's cheeks gained some red "Of course not! But this bastard came into my house this morning and dropped all this stuff at me and then he left. He even put me under his genjutsu in order to talk to me like I wasn't even worth to talk face to face!" Naruto didn't realize he raised his voice too much and now the librarian was sending him a murderous stare. "Relax Naruto, no need to get all worked up because of him, you mind if I stay here reading?" Naruto let out a sight "Fine, whatever" He'll get Sasuke for what he did later.


	2. Chapter 2: A bowl of ramen

Hello! Here I am with a new chapter! First of all I want to thank you for all the favs and the follows!

This chapter is a bit short but I promise the next one will be longer! I am still placing all the pieces together . Now that exams are over I'll have time to focus on the development of this story. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Kishismoto.**

Chapter 2: A bowl of ramen

It had been a couple of days since Sasuke left Naruto with piles of work to do, and the blond ninja was getting frustrated that Sasuke would get away from his reprisal. Naruto was standing in front of the hokage's desk giving the report from his C rank mission with his genin team. "What took you so long to hand it in Naruto? It is almost dark outside!" Tsunade's voice rumbled inside Naruto's ears "Sorry, I forgot" The hokage was about to say something but the captain of the Anbu appeared in the middle of the room and interrupted their conversation "The mission was carried away successfully, Hokage-sama" "Good, I'll assign your next mission tomorrow" She made a hand gesture telling the Anbu captain to leave "Yes ma'am" He put his right hand in front of him with his index and middle finger facing up ready to disappear un a puff of smoke "Sasuke! How dare you put me under a genjutsu, I am going to kick your ass!" The Anbu captain lowered his hand and removed his mask "I had a mission, I couldn't waste time talking to you. I'm going home"

Naruto felt a small pain in his chest as Sasuke raised his arm again to leave the place. He wanted to talk to him; they haven't seen each other in days. He knew it wasn't that long but it was hard to meet with him. Sasuke wasn't a very talkative person and being captain of the Anbu didn't leave him with a lot of free time. If they ever met was almost out of sheer luck. "Wanna go get something to eat?" The words came out of his mouth without him even realizing it. He tried to correct himself "I mean since you just came back from your mission I thought you might be hungry, although you could cook your own dinner when you get home…" He wasn't making it any better. He decided to shut up and wait for his reply "Sure" Did he just accept? For some reason Naruto felt relieved that Sasuke decided to stay with him for a while. "_It is nice to have Sasuke as a friend_."

"So where are we going?" That question got Naruto off guard. He didn't think of a place beforehand. "Mm…Ichiraku's?" "What is with you and ramen? Seriously is that all you ever eat?" Naruto slowed his pace, lowered his head and stared at the ground as they walked "Well we can always go to some other place…" Sasuke gave a gentle push on Naruto's shoulder making the blond ninja step forward seeking some balance "I'll go to Irichaku's but it is your treat, you were the one that came up with the idea anyway" Naruto rose his head up and smiled "Okay"

Naruto got his usual bowl of ramen with extra of pork while Sasuke opted for the miso one. "Did you know ero-sennin picked my name? The main character of the first novel he ever wrote was Naruto and my dad decided to name me after him. "What was the novel about?" Sasuke ate his naruto as he asked that question "About a hero that brought peace to the ninja world" Sasuke let out a chuckle "It suits you then" Naruto just smiled and devoured his ramen.

"Oi Naruto, could you stop making such loud noises when you slurp the soup? It is annoying" Naruto paid no attention to his words until he finished the soup "If you don't make noise you cannot possibly be enjoying it!" The owner of the stand nodded to confirm Naruto's statement "Whatever" Sasuke continued eating his ramen. "Sasuke…I know I don't ask about this very often and maybe you don't want to be asked about it…" Sasuke couldn't stand Naruto's hesitation "Just spit it out already" The blond looked at Sasuke with a serious expression on his face "How are you doing? You know, being back in the village and everything…" Sasuke turned his head to meet Naruto's cerulean eyes "_Was he worried about me?"_ "I still cannot forget about my brother and…I still hate all the people that treat him as a criminal after all he's done for the village. I just want…-he paused- I just want to kill them all" Naruto could feel Sasuke's heart starting to get tainted with revenge feelings again so he decided to place a hand on his friend shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. Sasuke's tense shoulders seemed to relax. "Yeah, it must be hard on you –he paused for a few seconds- but look at you! You're making some progress, you don't look as gloomy as you did before, although you're still pretty antisocial" Sasuke poked Naruto on the ribs "and you're as loud as ever" Naruto let out a light laugh while Sasuke stared at his half eaten bowl of ramen" _Naruto, you truly saved me, you showed me there's still light in this world. Because our bonds never broke you have become the most important part of me. I've never been able to forget about you. You are all that's left in my life."_ Of course he would never say those words, Naruto wasn't prepared for it yet and that frustrated Sasuke, How long did he have to wait? He placed his chopsticks on top of the bowl indicating he had finished and turned to face his friend"How long are you going to laugh? Just pay already so I can go home" Naruto frowned "No need to say it like that teme" Naruto pulled out his money pouch and paid to the old man.

They were on their way back, the sky was clear and the moon was almost full. Naruto looked at Sasuke walking next to him with his hands on his pockets looking annoyed as always. Naruto laughed inside his mind. He couldn't get used to see Sasuke act like his old self. He could still remember those eyes full of grief and loneliness. Sasuke was once dead inside and could only think of murdering everyone and everything. Naruto felt really happy that Sasuke managed to get out of the spiral of revenge although he was very aware that he was far from healed. The scars from the past still caused him pain and that was a thing only time was able to heal and Naruto would always be there to help him through the process. The moonlight accentuated his pale skin, it almost glowed and it made him look like a porcelain doll. Naruto didn't know that the moon could make someone look so beautiful. "_What are you thinking Naruto!"_ He denied his thoughts although he couldn't stop the little butterflies steadily growing inside his stomach.

They reached Naruto's apartment which was pretty close to the ramen place. They both stopped walking. "Well I guess I'm home" Sasuke didn't say anything although his gaze was intense, Naruto felt almost intimidated. There were a few awkward seconds of silence and finally Sasuke spoke "See you around Usuratonkachi" Sasuke turned around and walked away "Good night Sasuke" Naruto spoke quietly almost to himself so that the other wouldn't notice.

As Sasuke disappeared in the distance the blond suddenly felt the cold of the night and he felt… sad? He was so comfortable when Sasuke was next to him but now that he was gone he felt so lonely. He thought he should've asked him to stay for the night. "_Wait, did you just think that Naruto? What the hell is wrong with you! Sasuke is your friend, he's like a brother!" _Naruto entered his apartment and closed the door behind him with a loud slam probably waking up a few of his neighbors. He got rid of his clothes and put on his pajamas. He slipped under the bed covers and looked at the moon through the window _"Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel this pain in my chest whenever I think of Sasuke and he's not here? Is it okay to feel this way? Is it okay to want him always by my side? Is that brotherly love? I just don't know anymore…" _He pulled the covers closer to his face and took one last glance at the moon before closing his eyes _"He looked so beautiful back then though…"_

Sasuke was jumping between the rooftops of Konoha to get to his house. He couldn't stop thinking about Naruto and how much he wanted to grab him and bring him home and kiss him all night long. _"What is wrong with you Naruto? Can't you see I love you?!" "What are you trying to do? Are you playing with me? No, he's too dumb to do something like that, he just thinks of me as his best friend but would you have gone that far to get me if I was just a friend to you? _Sasuke's head was a mess; he didn't know what to do anymore. Why did he have to be so obtuse about everything! The Anbu captain wondered how long he would be able to handle that situation.


	3. Chapter 3: New Year's Eve

Hello! Here's a new chapter :D. The plot has been started and it is going to kick in next chapter so wait for it! There's going to be action! SasuNaru fluff is nice but I think a good story needs a plot. Anyway, read and enjoy.

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**

Chapter 3: New Year's Eve

Naruto was eating his daily bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's when the first snowflakes of winter started to fall. They were weak and gentle. "Seems like we're going to have a snowy end of year" The blond looked up to the old guy "Yeah I guess" The owner of the shop crossed his arms on top of his chest "any plans for tonight kid? Is Iruka staying with you?" "He can't make it this year, his got other issues to take care of and I am not a kind anymore, I can be by myself" Naruto didn't feel lonely very often, he had lots of friends and he was always keeping himself occupied so that the only time he was alone was at night when he had to go to sleep. Although he had to recognize that on holidays he felt sad. Not because he felt lonely but because he couldn't share that time with anyone. He would have to say goodbye to this year all by himself and that sucked big time. "Because it is New Year's Eve I'll be open until midnight. If you want to come, feel free to do so" "Sure" Naruto paid for the food and left the place, hands in his pockets and with that expression on his face that one could tell there was something bothering him.

The snowflakes were getting heavier and Naruto was starting to feel the cold settling underneath the skin so he decided to go back to his apartment and grab Sakura's Christmas present. She had given him a handmade scarf stating that he would need it during winter even though he never seemed to feel the cold. It was orange with red strips. It was cozy but it didn't feel very soft and most of the time his neck would get itchy but he decided to wear it anyway. When the boy was more or less comfortable with the clothe position around his neck someone knocked at the door of his apartment. The blond ninja slowly opened the door. "Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?" That was a surprise, he thought. "Does granny Tsunade want me? Is it a mission?" _Please let it be a mission, anything to keep me occupied_. Sakura let out a sight "Just because It is me that usually contacts you about getting missions doesn't mean that every time I come to see you I am giving you one" "Is it a date then?" He said it as a joke because he knew she would never go on a date with him, but at least she would get annoyed and Naruto loved to tease her, in a good way of course, if he ever got careless he would end up in the hospital. "What are you doing tonight? I mean for new year's eve?" _Wait, that sounded like a plan to go on a date! _"Nothing special really, Iruka can't stay with me this year but I guess I'll plan something out" Naruto couldn't fool Sakura with those pitiful words _Liar, you will be all by yourself and we both know it. _"Well… me and the others are planning to go on a party after twelve, would you like to come?" "I'll love to come!" The blond realized he had sounded too excited "I mean, yeah, why not? Sounds like a good plan" "Cool, I'll see you there then" Naruto smiled "yeah" Sakura hesitated about leaving, she wanted to ask something "Naruto, could... could you ask Sasuke if he wants to come as well? I can't bring the courage to ask him myself" After all, Sakura still loved Sasuke with all her heart "He's not here. He is on a mission but if he comes back today I'll make him come to the party, I promise" Sakura lowered her gaze "Thank you, well...take care" "You too and thank you for the scarf, I didn't get the chance to say it before" Sakura smiled softly "You're welcome" And then she was gone.

In a forest close to the wind country…

The Anbu captain cleaned the blood out of his katana after eliminating the spies that stole scrolls from the peace treaty between the allied nations. Sasuke and his assigned team had been trailing them for a few weeks and they finally found the chance to dispose of them. That was the third time in a month that there had been incidents like this. It was true that after peace between the countries was declared, some ninjas gathered and united to fight the shinobi alliance. After so many years of living under a military rule, it was hard to accept the concept of peace. Some ninjas felt that peace was not a word they should embrace, they existed for the sole purpose of fighting, if they take that purpose away, what is left of them? Lately there had been more attacks on the villages and that only meant one thing. The resistant faction is growing in numbers. Soon enough the five kages would have to take action to find the source of their power and destroy it.

Sasuke got distracted when a single snow flake landed on his bare shoulder. He looked up to the grey clouds and let a small smile form on his lips under the mask. He liked the snow. It reminded him of the Christmas holidays spent when his family and his clan were still alive. It also made him upset being all by himself, going back home and spending the last day of the year in a big empty house. He was happy he got a mission during this time of the year, well he demanded to get one.

It wasn't until his katana was perfectly clean that he spoke to the Anbu under his command "You may leave, I can bring the corpses by myself" The other three Anbu looked at each other hiding a confused expression under their masks. Ten Ten which was one of the Anbu subordinates and the one that knew their captain more than the others asked "Why is that, captain? We should all go back together. We don't know if we'll meet any enemies on the way home" The Uchiha remained silent for a few seconds "I am more than capable to take on any enemy. I am the strongest ninja in the village or have you forgotten that fact?" The others didn't reply "This is an order, I command you to go home" Ten Ten made a hand gesture telling the other members to follow the captain's orders. She didn't know a lot about Sasuke but she could feel his piercing eyes looking at them with that murderous intent. He wouldn't give stupid orders and she fully trusted him, well, Naruto trusted him and she wanted to trust Sasuke as well.

After Ten Ten and the other Anbu members left the place Sasuke unfolded a scroll and let it fall on the floor. He muttered a certain technique at the same time he made quick hand seals. When he finished the muttering an ink seal appeared on his right hand palm. He moved calmly towards the bodies and placed his inked hand on top of their chests which caused the corpses to disappear. One by one they were being sealed into the scroll. The process took a couple of hours since it was a fairly complex technique. Sealing a living organism was harder than sealing inanimate objects like weapons or information. When finished, Sasuke folded the scroll and kept it in a safe place. He removed his mask, he needed to feel the cold and fresh air and the sun setting behind the tall mountains was beautiful. It turned the clouds red. Soon the village would be celebrating the end of the last day of the year, having big feasts, singing and laughing with their friends and family. If they only knew it was thanks to his brother they're able to leave their happy lives... Sasuke hated them, he hated those ignorant people that knew nothing about sacrifices and suffering. The pain of watching them was able to overwhelm him. He lost everything and no one gave a damn about it, they all turned their backs on him when he lost himslef consumed in the darkness, everyone except one person. "Do you also feel lonely, Naruto?" He was sad and he hated to feel like that, he felt vulnerable and weak. It was a side of him he didn't like to show, that's why he sent the Anbu away, he didn't need the pity of the other people, he would deal with it as he always have done, he would fix it himself. He put his mask back on and started heading towards the village.

Close to 3.00 am in the village.

"Naruto you should go home" then Kiba rose from his seat "What? We're having so much fun! We're doing another dare!" "Naruto don't listen to him" Sakura started pushing the blond away from the table "You're such a sissy!" "I am not! Bring it on!" Naruto was too proud to back away from a challenge. "Kiba-kun...I-I think Naruto-kun have had enough" "What did you say Hinata?! I can't hear you if you speak so quietly!" "Kiba I think you should let him go" Shikamaru interrupted "look at him, he can barely stand" Kiba let out a grunt and sat down reluctantly. "I am not leaving! I am fine!" "Naruto if you don't go home I'll make you sleep with my fists!" Naruto got close to the pink haired kunoichi and spoke softly "But Sakura-chan...Sasuke isn't here yet. I promised I would bring him here." Sakura hesitated for a few seconds and looked back at the loud crowd "That's not important, go outside, I'll tell one of the boys to take you home" "I am just fine Sakura-chan, no one is waiting for me to come home anyway" The girl felt bad after hearing those words. It must be hard to spend all your live alone, not knowing what it feels like to have a family. She pushed him on the back to get him moving while she headed towards the others.

Naruto felt the cold air and felt instantly better. The snow was a few inches thick by now and it kept falling gently just like if the sky decided to add sugar on top of the village. He forgot his coat and scarf inside the bar but he didn't mind, it was nice to be outside hearing the festive noises.

It had been a while and Sakura didn't show up yet. Naruto didn't feel like coming back inside, instead he wanted to wonder the snowy streets and that's exactly what he did but now that he had been walking outside for at least ten minutes he realized that he should've grabbed at least the scarf. Any moment now he would start shivering, not that he cared, he was used to the cold. When he was little he lived out of allowances, and that only covered primary needs like paying the house rent and buying food. All the other things were extras. He remembered that he had a jacket that he used every winter because a nice fluffy coat was too expensive. Later on Iruka started buying little things for him and on his eleventh birthday he bought him a bright orange coat that he wore everywhere. _I wish I had that coat now_. Suddenly a warm feeling invaded his body when in the distance he saw a familiar face. Out of impulse he ran towards the Anbu captain which seemed absorbed looking at something. "Sasuke! You finally came home!" The raven haired boy got rid of his mask and looked at Naruto with his usual motionless expression "You've been drinking" The blond wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement but it didn't matter "How was the mission? I can't believe they sent you away in New Year's Eve! That granny...!" "I requested it" Naurto who had his fists clenched getting frustrated at the hokage now looked uneasy "Why is that? Don't you like New Year's?" Sasuke sighted "It is not that I don't lik…" "Naruto!" Sakura appeared through the crowd throwing Naruto's coat on his face. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me?! You're such a pain!" Then she realized the identity of the man in front of them "S-sasuke-kun?" The named one didn't look at her "I am glad you were able to come in the end" Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders and Naruto sneezed loudly "I think I should've waited for you Sakura-chan..." "Now you're going to catch a cold you idiot!" Sakura put a hand on Naruto's forehead just in case he had a fever or something but he was fine for now "Well, if I get ill you'll take care of me, right? Sakura-chan" He made sure to elongate the –chan bit to make it sound more like a plea "You're annoying Naruto. You'll be in the hospital if you get sick." Sasuke which was forced to listen a conversation he didn't belong to, felt like getting away from there as soon as possible. They were now talking and laughing _when did those two get so close?_ It wasn't very surprising after all. He was always away on missions and they both spent lots of time together due to their close relationship with the hokage. The way Naruto looked at Sakura made Sasuke feel sick. The blond's loving eyes carefully observed every single imperfection of her. If he could only… "So why did you request a mission on Christmas holidays?" Naruto wanted to know the answer "It doesn't concern you" Sakura went silent and tension grew in the atmosphere "what is wrong with you teme? I was trying to be nice here" "You know nothing" _What? Why did he say that?_ Naruto thought he understood him more than anyone else but it seemed as if Sasuke didn't recognize him at all. He was drunk, upset and frustrated and so those emotions turned into anger "Damn, Sasuke! You're like a fucking brick wall! You never open up to anyone, anyone! You're such a selfish jerk! How am I supposed to know if you're willing to tell me nothing!" Sakura was afraid that they would start fighting any second now, which could end up pretty bad. She needed to do something. She grabbed Sasuke's arm as she apologized for Naruto's last words but she didn't have time to do it properly because the anbu captain rejected her. "Don't touch me" Then he left leaving the drunk boy and the nervous girl to the freezing cold. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, he just had a bad day" Naruto wrapped the scarf around his neck and zipped up his coat. "How can you defend him when he said those hurtful words…?" "Because he's broken inside" Naruto was very aware that Sasuke had had a pretty messed up past that changed him for the rest of his life. Being rude and distant to other people was his mechanism of defense. He didn't want to create bonds which will cause him to suffer in the future. Because he understood Sasuke's situation he felt a bit guilty of what he said to his best friend. "Good night Sakura-chan" And so the pink haired kunoichi was left alone in the middle of the winter snow.


	4. Chapter 4: Inflitration

Chapter 4: Infiltration

It had been a week since the New Year's argument with Sasuke and Naruto felt unrested. He wanted to have a chat with him and at least apologize but every time he met with the Uchiha, the other would say that he's busy and that he can't talk. It almost felt like he was avoiding him and that made things even worse. "_We're meant to be close friends…but I guess we can't really understand each other's thoughts very well"._ He decided not to talk to him because maybe he just needed some time alone and on the other hand today he had more important things to take care of. He had been summoned to the hokage's office for a special mission and it had to be important since he would be away for a few weeks, leaving his genin team under the teachings of another jounin.

"What is it granny?" The other summoned members looked at the hokage and then at the jounin standing next to her. "I called you here to give you a very important mission.-she looked through the pile of papers on her desk as she spoke- "By analyzing the evidence of our enemies we were able to pin point their headquarters." Shikamaru moved away from the hokage's desk and explained the mission. "You will confirm the location of the base and if it is safe to do so, infiltrate and find information. Do NOT engage combat. I'll repeat this if necessary. Your mission is to gather information; we cannot take action without the approval of the allied shinobi nations." Tsunade spoke again "We have sent an Anbu team around that location but it hasn't been until now that we have been able to tell with a very little margin of error the exact location of the base. We will update them and they will join you as a back-up" Naruto frowned "We don't need back-up with me in the team" He didn't say it to show off. He knew he was strong and it felt a bit insulting to send "bodyguards". "I know you're able to protect your team members but you're… not very careful when you engage in combat and we don't want to be noticed" Tsunade agreed to Shikamaru's words and then let him speak again "The team for this mission is composed of two reconnaissance ninjas, Hinata Hyuuga and Kiba Inuzuka. There's a specialist in gathering information, Sai and a combat ninja in case force is necessary which is Naruto Uzumaki." The jounin gave them the details of the mission and then they all left to prepare for the journey. They departure time was set in three hours.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The four man cell moved swiftly across the fire country's forests. They had been on the move for a few hours with minor incidents but if they kept that pace they would reach their destination in two days' time. The base was located past the border of the earth country, hidden behind a waterfall. Sai was appointed the leader of the team and besides a few comments between Kiba and Hinata and occasionally a quarrel with Naruto and the Inuzuka for most of the trip silence reigned.

"Sai-kun there's a lot of movement up ahead" Hinata alerted as they were getting closer to their appointed destination. "The enemy is scattering, their scent is going in all directions" Akamaru barked in confirmation. Sai kept advancing forward "They must've found out that we were coming" Naruto looked at Sai and sprinted past him "What are we waiting for then?! They'll all get away before we get there!" The rest of the team accelerated to catch up with the blond while Naruto created a clone and left it meditating for sage mode on a tree branch at the same time he prepared for battle. He would not let them get away. "They're coming this way" Hinata informed. Sai waved a sign to stop "We'll hide and observe for now" Hinata and Kiba nodded at the instructions but Naruto rushed forward already on sage mode. Kiba was angry _"he's always messing everything up!"_ "Naruto, you'll ruin our mission! Get back here you idiot! But Naruto didn't stop "There's something weird going on, their chakra is too agitated. It looks like they're fleeing from something."

As Naruto disappeared in the distance Sai ordered Hinata to confirm Naruto's words. "Their chakra is flowing at irregular intervals and their speed is unusually fast" "like if they were escaping from a predator" Kiba added, then Sai summoned a big bird from his beast scroll "Trail the enemy as long as it is safe to do so and report back to the village, I am going to get Naruto" and so Hinata and Kiba were left alone with a mission to carry out.

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Naruto was moving as fast as his legs were capable of. There was something that had been bothering him since he entered sage mode and needed confirmation. "Hey kid, do you think it is him?" Kurama was talking. "It can't be" The boy would not allow himself to think of that possibility "But that chakra…that's definitely…" "Shut up!" the Kyubi growled and then got quiet but he was right and the blond's heart almost stopped when he saw Sasuke slaughtering everyone who dared to cross his path right in front of the big waterfall. His susano'o was in first stage, the skeleton structure. _"What the hell happened?"_ Naruto looked for the other anbu but couldn't spot them anywhere, his eyes focused again on the Uchiha and as he was about to crush several ninjas with susano'o, Naruto entered into kyubi mode and stopped the purple arm with his orange claws at the same time he let out a powerful roar.

Sasuke flinched. Seeing Naruto's fiery eyes made him realize of what he was doing, and he felt horrible. The raven haired made susano'o disappear and stared at his friend while the remaining ninjas in the base ran for their life. Naruto went out of his kyubi state and remained silent. "I am sorry" Naruto was hurt, his eyes looking at Sasuke with disbelief. "Why… Sasuke? Were…were you able to see their faces? They were scared to death." The blond looked at the massive cataract falling solemnly in front of them completely alien to the massacre that just took place minutes ago, then he traced the pool of blood and corpses mixed with the waterfall's caudal unable to say another word. "Naruto, they…-he sighted- you don't know what they're planning. I am protecting you, the village, the entire world" "That is not an excuse!" Naruto looked at Sasuke with sincere eyes "They were defenseless!" Sasuke felt beyond horrible. The only time Naruto gave him a look like that was that one time when he tried to kill Sakura with her own poisoned kunai. "Naruto, I have my reasons". _"Reasons? Reasons!? What the fuck are you saying!? I can't believe you have done something like this!_" Deep inside though, Naruto knew there was more to it than what Sasuke's words expressed. He may have that stoic face on him but his eyes would always reveal his true feelings and just by looking into those black irises the blond knew that there was something big going on. He calmed himself before speaking "I'll listen to you". At that instant Sai came flying from the sky and positioned himself next to Naruto looking at Sasuke with questioning eyes.

"What happened here?" Before the Uchiha could say anything Naruto answered for him "Nothing, we both got a bit carried away" Sai moved his gaze away from Sasuke "Naruto, you don't have to protect him. He's the murderer, not you" Sasuke activated his sharingan and it felt to the pale boy like a poisonous snake bit him and now the venom was burning his insides "Any problem with that?" Sai fell on his knees gasping for air. "Sasuke stop!" Naruto helped Sai get up and then made a gesture to go investigate the base. As the two boys were about to go past the waterfall, Naruto looked back to find Sasuke putting his anbu mask on and getting ready to leave. _He's leaving?_ He realized they had a pending conversation and so he told Sai to go on ahead.

"What happened Sasuke?" They were both sitting on top of a boulder next to the base entrance. Sasuke was hesitant, his eyes wondering everywhere. He wasn't sure Naruto would be able to understand his feelings since their personalities were so different. He would never know all he had been through but looking at him now, sitting next to him waiting for him to open up, at least he had to try it. He loved him so much…He had to give him a chance. "This base belonged to Orochimaru" Naruto who had been staring at the shifting clouds was startled by those words, turning his expression serious now. If Orochimaru was involved in some way, bad things were going to happen. "In here he carried away his most important experiments" Sasuke couldn't look Naruto in the eyes anymore. Just the thought of that person made him sick. "You mean…the cursed mark?" The two of them were teleported back to their first chuunin exam, where it all began. Naruto clenched his fists, he hated Orochimaru. He took Sasuke away from him. He contaminated and used him as he pleased and that was something he would never be able to forgive. "It wasn't the cursed seal. They were experiments to achieve… immortality"

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Sai was waiting for his ink rats to come back from the hundreds of corridors. He checked frequently to see if Naruto was coming but it seemed he was still outside with Sasuke. All this time he hadn't been able to stop himself from wondering why Naruto tried so hard for the Uchiha. If they were rivals they should hate each other, which they did. However they did have a strong friendship that Sai could not understand. He had read a lot of books about social interaction but he still couldn't understand what kind of relationship those two shared. Ever since Naruto told him about the bond he shared with Sasuke he had been fascinated by it. He couldn't give it a name so he simply observed. To him, Sasuke was a bastard but to Naruto it was almost his entire world. Everything revolved around him and that pissed Sai off. _Why that obsession with him? Why is he so special?_ He wanted to know why was their bond so strong that pulled them so close and pushed them so far away at the same time. Like if they were two magnets, forever attracting and repelling.

It didn't take too long for the rats to come back. With their data he was able to draw a map of the base and before venturing through the corridors he checked one last time his surroundings but Naruto wasn't there yet and so he proceeded with the infiltration.

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Hinata and Kiba had been observing the enemy for quite a while and it seemed that they were grouping in the south direction. Kiba was writing the gathered information on a scroll, he rolled it up and gave it to one of the ink hawks that Sai gave them. "We should follow them closer, they're probably migrating to another base" Hinata agreed and they both marched cautiously towards the lightning country.

Meanwhile in the old base Sai had found a row of empty cells where he figured the enemy kept their test subjects. As he moved forward he recorded all the valuable information on a scroll. _What kinds of experiments were carried out here?_ At the end of the corridor there were a set of stairs, one's going up and the others going down. Sai looked at his improvised map. It seemed that on the lower level there were another row cells but in the upper level there was some kind of chamber, he decided to follow the stairs going up.

The heavy metallic door was closed with a trap probably awaiting inside once opened but Sai had no other choice but to get through. He forced the door open and nothing happened. It was a lab; it was dark and it smelled of nasty chemicals which made Sai sick. If he stayed longer than necessary he would probably get poisoned and lose conscience. He hurried in but as he was about to examine some test tubes the whole place blew up in a big explosion.

"Sai!" Naruto jumped off the boulder they had been seating on as they witnessed the mountain crumbling down. "What is that idiot doing?" Sasuke cut in half a massive rock coming towards them from the explosion and rushed forward into the base. Naruto didn't waste time either, he quickly activated his kyubi mode and followed Sasuke.

Was his vision was blurred or was it the smoke particles travelling in the air? He didn't know. It was hot, the room was probably engulfed in flames and he was trapped. He had let his guard down when nothing happened after opening the door. He cursed under his breath and tried to clear his mind to assess the situation he was in. He cloud move his arms, _that's good, I can make seals._ His legs didn't respond though. _That's bad. Where's my beast scroll?_ The air was suffocating; he had to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Sasuke! He's in the upper level" The Uchiha used his lightning style to make an opening in the ceiling. Naruto was the first to go through the hole. _Hold on Sai, we're coming._ He could feel getting closer to his friend but the tall flames limited his vision. "Sai! Sai!"

_Is that…Naruto's voice?_ Sai's head was still spinning but at least he was now able to see that he was trapped between two walls or what remained of those walls, his beast scroll was nowhere to be found and the carbon dioxide was filling his lungs at an alarming rate. All he could do now was wait and try not to pass out before Naruto found him.

"Sai!" Naruto spotted the boy being crushed by the walls. His eyes were closed. He probably passed out not too long ago. The blond used his kyubi arms to lift up the walls and take his unconscious friend out of there. "I've got him Sasuke, let's get the hell out of here!"

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"Kiba-kun, someone is coming at two o'clock" The boy shared an accomplice look with his dog and attacked whoever was crossing their way. The others defended themselves stopping the powerful gatsuga. "We're in the same team, no need to attack!" Kiba who was sent against a tree made a back flip and landed on the ground, his kunai ready for battle, but he soon realized that he had attacked three Anbu members. His stance relaxed a little. "The captain told us to follow the enemy while he took care of the base" Hinata got a little closer "Are you the Anbu team that was meant to catch up with us?" "Yes" Kiba let out a sight "Sorry, we thought you guys were the enemy" After sharing some information they all resumed the chase.

Two anbu were leading the team, Kiba and Hinata covered the middle and the other anbu member was on the back. The sun that had accompanied them for most of the day was being covered by storm clouds. Hinata had a bad feeling. This entire situation was confusing. _Why was the enemy fleeing in the first place? Will you be okay, Naruto? _She didn't like that they got separated from the rest of the team. She activated her byakugan to check the perimeter and she had to supress a scream when she saw the Anbu on the back being dismembered by a man. Cold sweat run down her neck as she turned on her heels to engage combat. Kiba who noticed the tension in Hinata's body due to the change of her scent turned around.

The heiress of the hyuuga clan closely observed the man standing across from her. He had a sly smile on him which sent her the creeps. His chakra flow wasn't different from any other person. The enemy charged against her petite figure wielding a wide and rusty sword. She dodged it and sent her gentle fist straight through his heart. She awaited and it seemed that the enemy was in pain but he quickly recovered and swung his big sword back at her. She jumped out of his reach although he managed to slash her right arm. The wound wasn't very deep but it bled quite a lot. _I am sure I stopped his heart…How come he can still move so swiftly?_ As the man charged once again two vortices flew past her and crashed into the enemy, tearing him into a million pieces.

"You alright, Hinata?" She observed Kiba and Akamaru looking at her with worried eyes "Y-yes. It is just a scratch" Kiba turned around as Akamaru started barking "What's wrong Akamaru?" "Kiba-kun…The enemy…he-he is regenerating" The two ninjas and the dog observed astonished how the enemy was regenerating his body parts and coming back to life "Is this some kind of reanimation jutsu?" Hinata shook her head "No, this is a living organism". The enemy smiled showing his disgusting teeth.

"You cannot kill me. I am immortal."

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After leaving the base, the three ninja headed back to the fire country. They were now in a small clearing and even though the sky was getting cloudy and they needed to find shelter, Sai came first. He was still unconscious and that worried Naruto. He wished Sakura was here, she would know how to handle that situation. "Why did it have to turn out like this?" Sasuke looked at the blond and the pale guy lying on the grass "This is a ninja world after all. Is he still breathing?" "Yeah" "Let him be then, he'll wake up eventually" Naruto didn't listen to Sasuke, he was going stay with Sai until he opened his eyes. The blond observed him. His legs had been under the pressure of the ruins but there weren't any broken bones. He turned to say something to Sasuke but he was no longer there. Half an hour passed and the clouds were turning darker now that the sun was setting. "Oi Naruto" He jumped from the surprise, he didn't notice Sasuke coming. "I have found an old barn we can stay at not too far away from here." Naruto got up and picked Sai up "Let's go."

Sasuke used his fire jutsu to light up a small fire and now they were sitting in the shelter hearing the pouring rain as it hit the windows. Sai was still unconscious but his breathing was steady which is always a good sign. "I wonder where the others are" Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Kiba and Hinata. I left them behind." Silence remained for a few seconds "I assume my Anbu team caught up with them." "Yeah, probably" Sasuke rose and left the place to do guard duty. Inside, Naruto felt like they hadn't finished their conversation. He still didn't know why he killed everyone in the base, he said he wold listen his reasons and he hadn't; so he took one last look at the sleeping boy and left to find Sasuke.

"The weather isn't getting any better uh?" Sasuke glanced at the blond "What do you want" Naruto scratched the nape of his neck "What happened in that lab? Were any of the experiments successful?" "No" Naruto relaxed a little "Not until now." Sasuke moved his body into a more comfortable position before proceeding with his explanation. "When I got there they were talking about this project…the immortality project. –He paused- They somehow managed to outsmart Orochimaru and create an immortal human. Do you know what that means?" Naruto closed his eyes in a thinking pose "He will be a pain to bring down?" Sasuke couldn't avoid the little smile forming on his lips. _He's a complete dobe after all"_. "It means an immortal army, Naruto".


	5. Chapter 5: Under the rain

Here's a new chapter! I have been a little busy lately so I took a long time to update this story. Anyway thank you again for the favs and follows and reviews and comments are welcomed anytime

Enjoy the story ^^

Chapter 5: Under the rain

"Hinata, this doesn't look very good" The two ninja had been fighting the immortal guy for a long time and exhaustion was starting to take a toll on their bodies. The enemy didn't even bother to avoid their attacks because even if he got pulverized, as long as a piece of flesh survived, his cells would start regenerating his body all over again. Besides, the night was closing in and the rain would start pouring down from the sky any minute now and that would considerably lessen their chances to strike down the enemy.

Even at night time, Kiba was able to locate the position of his targets by detecting their scent, but the rain would wash out almost all of the enemy smell and that would work against him. Hinata was able to see through the rain but she was a close combat ninja and the wound inflicted by the enemy made her movements slower. In any case, if the battle dragged on for too long they would be in trouble.

Kiba's mind was working at hundred per cent, his blood boiling through his veins. _We need to do something about this guy or we'll be in deep shit. Hinata is wounded and her stamina is running out quite quickly. I need to get her out of here. Think Kiba, think!_ Finally he decided that the best course of action was to bind the target. If they managed to restrict the enemy's movements even for a little while, that would buy them enough time to escape.

"Hinata, I'll create an opening and you will strike him" The girl looked at Kiba with a nervous expression "His body regenerates too quickly…" "Well, you have to keep insisting. Hit as many vital points as you can. That will keep him still as he regenerates and that will be our only chance to tie him up. I know you can do it". Hinata nodded shyly and Kiba grinned back at her. It was now or never.

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"An immortal army?" Naruto's expression after he pronounced those words was hard to read. On one hand he should be concerned about the news but on the other hand he felt completely calm. The fact that Sasuke seemed unaltered by this revelation helped him feel less stressed about it as well. Naruto looked back at Sasuke as he cleared his throat "So, it is like a reanimation jutsu right? We just have to seal them. It won't be that much of a problem". The Uchiha could not believe how naïve his friend could be. _That's Naruto I guess._ "It is a problem Naruto. How many sealing ninja do you think we've got? During the fourth shinobi war, the reanimated ninja paled in comparison to what we will be facing. Besides it is no jutsu, there's no way to stop it. It is a mutation, just like the cursed seal".

The blond seemed to start to comprehend the situation and so he moved past that topic, he hadn't asked the question he really wanted to ask yet. His heart was steadily increasing its pace as he took one deep breath, preparing himself for whatever the answer may be "So…Why did you have to kill them? They were mere pawns". Sasuke was somehow expecting that question and yet, he wasn't prepared to give an explanation for his actions since that would mean he had to tell about his feelings. He hated to expose his weaknesses, he was an Uchiha damn it! But he also was aware that if he refused to answer, Naruto would keep on asking and that would be very irritating. He had no choice, so he finally gave in.

"Those ninjas were protecting the experiment. They were protecting an infamous creature created from Orochimaru's previous experiments. There must've been hundreds of tests before one was carried out successfully. They deserve nothing but death".

What Sasuke was trying to say is that he was once a test subject and he had hated every second under Orochimaru's control. He had hated the cursed mark. It was wrong and it made him feel as if he was some kind of monster. Even if all he ever wanted was power, that mutilation to his body…he; he didn't want anything like that to happen again. Not only because he knew the power that it would grant but because it felt as if Orochimaru was appearing again in his life and he didn't want anything to do with him. He didn't linger in the past anymore. He wanted to move forward, he wanted to be part of Naruto's light just like the others. He didn't belong to the shadows anymore. He didn't want to go back there.

"Sasuke, you do know you don't need to do everything yourself" Naruto was able to understand the truth behind his friend's actions. He knew that Sasuke hated when someone brought up his past and he was aware that those feelings sometimes, overwhelmed him, even if he didn't want to admit it. But Naruto was there for him, he was there to share the burden with him and he was there to bear all of his hatred anytime. He wanted to make this point clear because he cared for him like if he was his own family, he didn't want him to suffer. "Whatever the odds we are forced to deal with, we have friends to rely on. There's no need for you to carry the responsibility of saving everyone. Your brother taught me that". Sasuke seemed slightly amused by that last sentence "His actions never proved his philosophy" Naruto moved a little closer to his friend before speaking again "He was wrong, although he realized that after his death. He didn't want you to be like his old self". "I know"

They were both listening to the falling rain which they felt it was kind of soothing. None of them said another word but then, Naruto felt a gentle pull on his hair and he realized it was Sasuke's hand. "I'll be okay, no need to worry about me". "Who wants to worry about you?!" And that's when their eyes met and suddenly, the rain hitting hard on the ground, the cold numbing their bodies, the crackling noises of the firewood, everything around them went silent.

A second later Sasuke's face was so close to Naruto's that they could both feel their agitated breaths. But it stopped there. Naruto's eyes were wide open and his heartbeats were very irregular. He felt very uncomfortable, he always felt nervous when someone approached him like that. He felt that his privacy was invaded and he would always go away as fast as possible from that situation but right now he couldn't even breathe properly. There was something on Sasuke's eyes that drew him closer. Sasuke, who was painfully holding himself back, had to stop completely when Naruto looked at him with the most confused expression he's ever seen the blond make.

Gradually they both started hearing the pouring rain again although to Naruto, his throbbing heart was definitely louder. He somehow managed to look away from the Uchiha and steadily gather the courage to speak again, his face becoming red as Sasuke released his hold on Naruto's hair. "I-I think I'll go check on Sai" Sasuke didn't say anything he just disappeared under the rain. As for Naruto, he went back inside wondering why was his heart still beating so hard.

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"64 palms!"

Hinata breathed heavily, her sweat mixed with the falling rain ran down her face. Her body was tense, ready for another round and her eyes were fixed on the enemy that was now convulsing. It amazed her how fast it was regenerating its damaged cells; it was even more effective than Tsunade's hyakugou seal, but as predicted, the man was standing still as it regenerated.

"Now Kiba-kun!"

Akamaru lunged at the enemy's throat to immobilize the enemy while Kiba unfolded a scroll and with one hand seal he rapidly unleashed the binding technique written on it. Various thick and heavy metal arrows attached to chains emerged from the scroll and pierced the target. Each arrow reached a different part of his body and when all of them hit the enemy, the chains started to twine around the rest of the body, interspersing with each other until the enemy cold not move.

The former members of team 8 relaxed a little "Seems it's finally over". Hinata nodded in response to Kiba's words. She was standing next to the enemy, her body slightly trembling.

The rain was still heavy and they needed to recover from the battle. Akamaru's sense of smell was null under that weather, so they had to rely on Hinata's byakugan to find a refuge. Kiba was about to ask her for help when she grabbed her injured arm and fell on her knees. The boy ran next to her and realized that the wound hadn't healed at all. The blood kept coming out and Kiba wondered if the sword the enemy was using had some kind of poison on it that stopped the red blood cells from coagulating. _Did you fight all this time with your arm bleeding like that, Hinata…?_ _If I had gotten here earlier… Shit!_

"There's a house one kilometre north-east from here" He didn't pay much attention to her words as he was trying to come up with a way to stop her bleeding. They also had to carry the enemy with them so that the village would be able to extract information about him.

His eyes moved towards the immortal guy who was still convulsing, it was probably trying to heal the wounds inflicted by the arrows but unable to do so the body kept repeating the same process over and over again. It wasn't a pretty sight. Then his gaze returned to his friend getting weaker by the minute.

"Don't worry about my arm Kiba-kun, Sakura-san gave me these bandages which have been injected with healing chakra. They will most likely stop the bleeding". With a harsh movement, Kiba took the bandages off her hand and tore the fabric covering her wound and carefully, he rolled one of the bandages around her arm. He kept the rest in his pouch in case they needed to replace it later.

Hinata felt a sting of pain as the bandage started closing the wound. The process was slow since it had to fight the poison as well, but at least she wouldn't be losing more blood. "Thank you Kiba-kun" He smiled back at her "No problem".

The Inuzuka picked Hinata up and carried her on his arms since she was unable to carry her own body weight all the way to the refuge. He then ordered Akamaru to carry the enemy and even though the dog gave him a funny look he did it anyway. She felt a little embarrassed about being carried like that but they needed to find a place to stay safe until the morning and she would only slow them down. She cleared her mind and using her byakugan she got them moving.

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Naruto woke up when a beam of sunlight struck his eyes. He opened them slowly to give his pupils enough time to adjust to the morning light entering through the windows and the cracks on the wooden walls. "Morning, dickless". Naruto raised from his improvised bed made of hay at the same time he stretched his arms. _Did I hear something?_ The blond looked around and saw Sai looking at him with one of his best attempts at smiling. _Oh, it's Sai._ He rolled on the bed to go back to sleep but he suddenly realized it was Sai, he wasn't unconscious anymore! "Sai! When did you wake up!? Are you alright!?" The Pale boy nodded "I woke up a few hours ago because your snoring wouldn't let me sleep" "I do not snore!" Naruto galred at Sai as he stood up and walked towards his bag where he kept a few energetic bars. It wasn't the best breakfast ever but at least it would keep him moving. He sat opposite to Sai to show his discontent with the other's statement and munched his energy bars.

"Is the Uchiha still here?" Naruto who was staring what remained of the fire place was struck by the memories from last night and his heart started pounding quite hard. He had forgotten all about it when he woke up but now that Sai mentioned Sasuke the memories came back to haunt him. _What the hell was that?_ He thought_. I mean we have been close to each other before but this time was different, his eyes…they were trying to tell me something. _Naruto figured that the process of unravelling the truth behind his eyes is what created that situation. He never stared at someone like that before and that was the only explanation, because there was no other reason they would get THAT close. Still, inside his heart there was something troubling him and he didn't know the cause of it.

Sai who had been observing Naruto's conflicted expression wondered if something happened between them. The blond only made that kind of face when it came to Sasuke "Naruto…?" The blond snapped out of his contemplations and looked at the boy across from him "He left last night. I don't know if he plans on coming back." "Well, in that case we should get moving. One of the ink hawks I gave to kiba came back last night. They were trailing the enemy towards the lightning country so I reckon we should catch up with them. Have you found out anything?" "Yeah –he paused- In the base they were conducting experiments to achieve immortality and it seems they finally succeeded. We will be soon facing an entire army of immortals. That's what Sasuke said anyway". Sai asked Naruto to explain everything that happened in detail so he would be able to record it on a scroll.

Several kilometres away from Naruto and Sai, their other team mates rested inside the refuge. The rain had stopped falling not too long ago and it seemed the sky was clearing. Kiba had just finished changing Hinata's bandage, the wound was slowly healing and she probably would have to go to the hospital when they arrived at the village but for now that was the best they could do. The girl was packing their stuff to leave as soon as possible.

Last night when they arrived at the refuge, Kiba unfolded the scroll where Sai had sealed his ink hawks and released another one of them. He wrote about their encounter with the immortal, the outcome of the battle and their plans to head back to the village with the corpse.

During the night the regenerating process of the enemy collapsed and instead of healing the body cells it started making new ones, causing mutations on the body and turning his appearance of that of a monster. In the end it stopped creating new tissue and the body died eventually.

It was still dark outside, but the sun would come out soon enough. Kiba looked at Hinata and with a nod she made him know that she was ready. Akamaru barked at the same time he picked up what remained of the enemy. They were ready to set off.

Back in the fire country Naruto and Sai were packing up to leave as well. Their plan was to join Kiba and Hinata and locate the enemy's new base. As they stepped outside, Sasuke came to join them. Cerulean eyes met with Sasuke's onyx ones and he couldn't help but to look away. _Why am I so embarrassed?_ The Uchiha kept looking at the blond as he updated them with new info "One of my anbu was killed and the other kept trailing the enemy after your team mates engaged combat with the man that killed the first anbu". Nauto's expression changed and he was forced to look back at Sasuke "Are they alright?! What happened!?" "Do you expect me to know that? None of my anbu were there so witness the battle" Naruto clenched his fists. _What if they got hurt? _He wouldn't be able to forgive himself since his rush to get to the base caused the team to split up. "We have to find them" Those were the blond's last words.

"We don't know where they are and besides they are not our priority. We need to report back to the village" Naruto sent and angry look at Sasuke. _How can he say that about his team mates?_ Naruto believed on Kakashi's words that all of those that left their comrades behind were nothing but scum. _Sasuke, when did you forget about that…?_ "I am going" Naruto finally said. Sai had to agree with Sasuke but he hadn't received any other hawk from Kiba and that concerned him a little. On the other hand Sasuke was fuming. He didn't give a damn about the others. He owed them nothing. They all tried to kill him at some point, but they were important to Naruto and he hated to see the blond troubled.

Sai spoke before the Uchiha "I'll go with you Naruto, let Sasuke do whatever he wants, he wasn't part of our team originally, he has no reason to stay". "I'll go" Naruto felt somehow relieved that Sasuke decided to go help their companions although he ignored that it was only because of him that he decided to go with them.

"Hold on" Sai stopped their advance through the woods. "News from Kiba and Hinata" He unfolded a scroll to let the ink hawk land on the paper surface. "They are safe and heading to the village with valuable information about the immortal experiment" Sasuke glared at them both. He was right; there was no need for worrying. Naruto gave an apologizing look to both of his companions and they changed course towards the village.


End file.
